


A Good Cop

by 4thofFive



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Dark, Episode Related, Gen, Kidnapping, Murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-05
Updated: 2013-07-07
Packaged: 2017-12-17 19:48:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/871326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4thofFive/pseuds/4thofFive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A devastating case splinters Steve and Danny's friendship and makes Danny question what kind of cop he wants to be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a case fic involving child murders. I don't get into much detail about the murders because that would make me sick but I did want to warn you.
> 
> I should have the second half up sometime this weekend.
> 
> Canadian English spelling.

Danny Williams was a good cop. That was something he could always count on. Something he never questioned. He knew he’d been a lousy husband, had failed his brother Matty and sometimes disappointed Grace, but he was a good cop. Sure he made mistakes, fucked up on occasion, but he believed in doing his duty to the highest possible standard and in upholding the letter of the law. He couldn’t be bought, couldn’t be bribed and couldn’t be threatened to do anything less than what was right…until recently. Until the Ella Bishop case.

When Amanda Morris had been found dead and Ella Bishop went missing something in Danny snapped. It was a feeling he’d never experienced before and it scared the fuck out of him. Instead of the level-headed, methodical cop he’d always been, he became almost an animal beating on Ray Beckett until the kidnapper finally told Danny where the child could be found.

Ella was safe and alive, Danny was grateful for that. Part of him couldn’t regret his actions since it saved Ella’s life. But another part of him, the good cop Danny had always been, wondered when he’d found it so easy to step over the line and would it get easier and easier with each case? What had happened to the bright-eyed New Jersey cop who believed in the law and in the justice system – even with all of its flaws? Was Danny Williams cop now also going to be Danny William’s judge and jury…and executioner?

When Danny was a rookie – before Rick Peterson became his training officer – he spent his first few months riding in a patrol car with Bernie Follett, an old-as-the-hills cop who’d been in uniform since before Nixon had been president. Bernie was a stereotypical old timer ticking off the days until retirement. He drove around with the stub of a cigar clamped between his teeth and had to cinch up his gun belt under his flabby belly. 

At first Danny thought he was a boring, pontificating old fart who was hopelessly out of touch with the modern world. But as they spent their days and weeks together, Danny began to see Bernie for who he really was: a shrewd, street-wise old beat cop who cared about the people he served, took shit from no one and treated people with dignity. Bernie used to tell Danny that a good cop had to use his mouth and his brains long before resorting to his fists and his gun. Danny believed that too. He’d always believed it. So why had he found it so easy to throw that aside on the Beckett case?

Steve had tried to help as Danny wrestled with his conscience. The SEAL listened patiently and regularly reminded his partner that Ella would have died had it not been for Danny’s actions. He tried to give Danny absolution, to take the guilt off the Jersey-native’s shoulders and put it on his own, but Danny knew that ultimately Steve didn’t understand. The Commander was a good man, an honest and decent man, but he was also a soldier used to doing whatever was necessary to accomplish a task. Ella was in danger; Beckett wouldn’t talk so Danny simply used the only means possible to get the answers they needed. Steve saw no problem with that and would never really understand why Danny had begun to question his own actions.

Danny didn’t know if he could ever explain it in a way that satisfied them both.

 

**********

The first girl went missing on a Sunday afternoon. One moment Annabelle Sung was in her backyard playing on her swing, the next she was gone. The Five-0 team and most of HPD had searched for days, tearing the island apart, questioning everyone who knew little Annabelle and those who had only passing acquaintance with her. Six days later the tiny body of the eight-year-old was found half-buried in the sand in Laie beach. She’d been strangled and a lock of hair had been cut from her head. The killer had thoroughly washed her small body and scrubbed it with a brush before dressing her in what appeared to be a crudely-made white nightgown. There was no forensic evidence to be found.

Just under two weeks later another child went missing and four agonizing days later 10-year-old Lizzie Harris was found dead, dressed in the same kind of homemade nightgown, body scrubbed of evidence and family shattered in a way Danny couldn’t imagine ever recovering from. Lizzie too was missing a lock of her hair.

Then eight days ago, a third girl disappeared.

**********

Danny turned in his chair and looked through his office window into that of his partner, Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett. The handsome, highly fit Navy SEAL sat slumped at his desk, his face pale, his eyes sunken from lack of sleep. If Danny had the courage to look at himself in the mirror he knew he’d see the same face of exhaustion. 

Logic told Danny that the team should go home and get a few hours of rest. Surely they would be more on-the-ball after some downtime. But the father in Danny knew he couldn’t stop – not yet anyway. He had a small amount of fuel left in his tank and he would use it until it ran dry. Steve would too, and Chin and Kono. They hadn’t been able to save Lizzie and Annabelle but maybe there was hope for little 10-year-old Stephanie Danyluk.

Danny was reading back through the witness interviews on all three cases searching desperately for any small detail, any clue that could lead to the capture of the sick creature that took the lives of two innocent children and potentially a third. There was nothing. 

Annabelle, Stephanie and Lizzie didn’t know each other, didn’t go to the same school or have the same friends. They weren’t in any clubs together and there was no sign that their parents had ever met, even in passing. The three girls were pre-teens with bubbly personalities, but that’s where their resemblance stopped. Annabelle was Asian, tiny and doll-like with big brown eyes. Lizzy was Caucasian, tall and thin with short blonde hair and braces on her teeth. Stephanie was also a blonde but shorter and with some remaining baby fat that made her look like a little cherub.

Danny knew that serial killers had a type, some small physical attribute or personality trait that attracted them to their victims. The fact that the killer was clipping locks of hair from his victims showed that he was keeping souvenirs of the girls. Twisted reminders of what he’d done to them that would allow him to relive their murders over and over again. Danny also knew from hideous experience that a killer like this, so meticulous and driven, so bold and heartless, wouldn’t stop until he was stopped. His gratification didn’t just come from the killing, it came from the hunt.

Danny jerked out of his reverie when the door to his office was pushed open and a pale-faced Kono stood before him. Her eyes were bloodshot and she looked both old and impossibly young at the same time. He could see that she was shivering slightly.

“They’ve found her,” the Hawaiian officer whispered hoarsely.

 

**********

Stephanie lay sprawled out under some bushes near Makapuu lookout, lying in sight of the early morning joggers. The killer wasn’t even trying to hide his victims anymore. He’d taken to dumping their bodies with the same care as if he’d thrown a fast food container out of his car window. Danny swallowed hard as he knelt down several feet from the child, careful not to contaminate the crime scene. She may have been tossed aside but the killer still took the time to clean the child’s body and dress her in the same homemade, shapeless white cotton nightgown he’d put on the other girls. Danny had no doubt that Max would find a lock of her hair was missing.

The detective looked up at his partner who stared at the little girl with a mixture of horror and sorrow that made Danny’s heart clench. He stood and grasped Steve’s bicep gently.

“You ok?” he whispered.

The SEAL turned and looked at him with wet eyes – not even trying to hide his pain. Normally the taller man would force his face into a blank mask and deny anything was wrong. It was perhaps a sign of the depth of their trust of each other that he didn’t even try to hide his emotions from his partner anymore.

“No, no I’m not. I want to catch this sick fucker so bad that I can taste it. I want to make him suffer the way he made these children suffer.”

Danny nodded in understanding. He wanted that too. With every fibre of his being he wanted to see this murdering son of a bitch suffer. Danny took a deep breath and scrubbed his face with his hands as he struggled to gain control of his emotions. Stephanie and Annabelle and Lizzie deserved the best from the cops on this case. They didn’t need half-hysterical, wild-eyed vengeance seekers. They needed driven and methodical detectives who wouldn’t stop until their killer was behind bars. Five-0 would get him. Of that he had no doubt.

 

**********

“There must be something,” growled Steve as he stalked in tight circles around the bull pen later that day while Danny and Kono stood hollow-eyed and subdued at the tech table. Chin was in his office working on his own lines of inquiry while the rest of the team once more went over the evidence in each of the cases.

“Nothing has jumped out,” replied Danny quietly. He understood Steve’s frustration and felt it himself but they couldn’t pull rabbits out of hats. There seemed to be no tie between the girls or their families.

“They live in different neighbourhoods miles apart,” recited Kono as she ticked the facts off on her fingers. “They don’t go to the same schools. They don’t belong to the same clubs, their parents don’t work together, they don’t do the same kind of work, their siblings don’t know each other…” 

“What about the cloth the bodies were dressed in?”

“HPD is making the rounds to the stores and fabric shops, but so far nothing,” replied Danny tiredly as he rubbed his dry, scratchy eyes with the tips of his fingers. “Fong confirms the fabric on both Lizzie and Annabelle is the same. They haven’t had a chance to test the fabric on Stephanie yet, but he says it looks right. It was likely all cut from the same bolt of fabric.”

Steve snorted in derision.

“We have a serial killer who knows how to sew. He’s a real talented guy,” he ground out. Steve rubbed the fist of one hand into the palm of the other. “When we catch him I’m going to show him a few of my talents.”

Kono looked over at Danny.

“Have you spoken to Rachel?” the young officer inquired carefully. She knew cases like this always made Danny fearful for his daughter and she had no desire to ratchet up that fear any more than necessary.

Danny gave the Hawaiian woman a weak smile and a nod. 

“Yeah. She’s being extra careful and Grace isn’t left alone at any time. She walks Grace into the school in the morning and makes her wait inside until she can collect her in the afternoon. I’ve spoken to the principal and she’s briefed the staff.” 

“Chief Makaha has sent HPD officers to every elementary and middle school to talk to the kids and brief their staff,” Steve added as he came to lean against the tech table beside his partner. “Maybe it will save a life, or bring forward a witness.”

“I hope so,” whispered Kono in a shaking voice. She’d been a cop for just over three years and knew she was a pretty good one, but nothing had prepared her for this. Sometimes she wondered if she had what it took to do this job and still keep her sanity. 

The three team members looked up when Chin came out of his office and walked over to the tech table looking both hopeful and a bit sheepish. He glanced at each of his teammates in turn before looking up at Steve.

“I was going through the detailed interviews with the parents once again and…this is a hell of a shot in the dark but…”

“What is it, Chin?” urged Danny as he straightened up and turned his full attention to the older detective. Chin was an experienced cop. If he thought he had something, no matter how tenuous, Danny wanted to hear it.

Chin licked his lips nervously as he leaned over the tech table and brought a map of downtown Honolulu up on the screen. 

“I was going over the interviews again as I said, trying to find something, anything that might be a common denominator between the victims’ families. I noticed that Mrs. Danyluk normally shops at the Buy and Save on Makaloa Street. Mrs. Sung didn’t mention that market as being one she frequented but Annabelle takes gymnastic lessons in a recreation centre a half block away. It’s possible that they could have stopped at that store on their way home from Annabelle’s lessons once in a while don’t you think?” Chin looked up at his team members hopefully.

“What about Mrs. Harris?” Steve asked, his eyes brightening at the tiny glimmer of hope this idea might provide.

Chin shook his head sadly.

“That’s where it all falls down. She lives too far away. It sounds like she rarely comes downtown so it’s unlikely she has been to that particular store.”

“But what about her ex-husband?” Danny piped up trying to keep the excitement out of his voice. This whole thing was such a long shot but it was still the only thing they had. “He lives in an apartment downtown. Maybe he’s been there.”

“It wasn’t written in his detailed interview,” responded Chin.

“That interview was done by men,” Kono interjected, a note of derision in her voice. “They probably wouldn’t think to ask another man where he does his grocery shopping.”

Steve nodded firmly and turned to Kono. 

“Kono, give Mr. Harris a call and ask him where he shops.”

The young officer nodded and turned on her heel to march back to her office. The three remaining Five-0 members looked at each other warily.

“It’s a long shot,” repeated Chin sensibly.

“A hell of a long shot,” agreed Danny, as he worried his bottom lip between his teeth.

“It’s something,” responded Steve firmly. “Maybe it’s a dud, but it’s the first lead we’ve had in days.”

 

**********

“There are 52 employees working in this particular Buy and Save,” reported Kono as she struggled to keep her voice even. The team was gathered in Steve’s office eager to hear her report.

Even though Mr. Harris had told her he shopped frequently at the Buy and Save on Makaloa, and often with Lizzie in tow, she knew that didn’t necessarily mean this was the break they were looking for…then again, maybe it was.

“Of that, 34 are full-time and 18 are part time. They range in ages and 19 of the employees are men – about half of whom have been with the store for more than two years.”

Danny lifted his eyebrows in surprise.

“How did you get all this information so fast?”

Kono grinned at him and wiggled her fingers like she was about to play a piano concerto.

“I’m a computer whiz, remember? The information is out there if you know where to look.”

Danny chuckled and shook his head in wonder. He was glad Kono was on their side of the law.

“I’ve started running the names of the employees through IAFIS and the NCIC database,” said Chin as he turned to leave Steve’s office. “If any of them have records we’ll know soon.”

Steve looked over at Danny again. The SEAL was a good cop himself and was confident in his skills but the sum total of his knowledge of mass murderers were those who committed genocide in their own countries. In this particular area Danny had more theoretical and practical knowledge from his years as a cop in New Jersey, and in the specialized training he’d received in courses taught by the FBI.

“We’re still in agreement that this is probably a man?”

Danny nodded firmly.

“There have been a few female serial killers but by far they tend to be white men. And the facts in this case – child victims, the sexual nature of the crimes, death by strangulation – that suggests a man to me.”

Steve sighed heavily and flopped down onto the leather couch in the corner of his office. He dropped his head against the back of the couch and stared up at the ceiling.

“Fuck I’m tired,” he announced to no one in particular.

Danny and Kono looked over at each other in surprise. Steve McGarrett had just admitted to a human weakness. Should they start to worry? If Superman was losing his steam what hope did the rest of them have?

Steve’s office door opened and Chin pushed through, his face alight in a way it hadn’t been since the case started.

“You have something?” demanded Steve as he sat up abruptly.

“Maybe,” acknowledged Chin as he began scrolling through screens on his iPad. 

“A few of the employees do come up with records: one for drunk driving two years ago, and one for a B&E about eight years ago when she was in her late teens. However…” Chin paused for a moment to get to the screen he was looking for. “One of the long-time employees, Dennis Omura, has a sexual assault conviction from nine years ago.”

Chin handed around the iPad with an old mug shot of Omura on the screen. The photo was taken when Omura was in his early 30’s. The thin-faced man of Japanese descent might have been considered handsome at one time, but his hooded eyes and sneering expression made him look menacing and older than his years. Then again mug shots were never very flattering.

“He served three years in Halawa,” Chin continued as Steve almost leapt to his feet to grab the iPad and get a look at their suspect. “No record of any arrests since then.”

Steve couldn’t help the feral smile that spread across his face. And Danny recognized that face: angry-dog-with-a-bone.

“I got a feeling about this guy.”

Danny lifted one hand and patted the air with it as if to calm his partner.

“Easy, babe. I agree it’s a good lead but let’s not start counting our chickens, ok?”

Steve nodded distractedly but kept his eyes on Chin. 

“Did you run him?”

The older Hawaiian detective nodded.

“I have his address, the make and model of his car – the works.”

Steve pressed his lips together in a firm line as he struggled to tamp down his rising excitement.

“Chin, you and Kono go and talk to Omura’s parole officer. See what you can find out. Then go chat with his neighbours. Don’t make them suspicious, but try to get a read on the guy.”

The two officers turned to carry out their assignment as Steve looked over at Danny and smiled.

“Your fridge was looking kind of bare the last time I was at your place, Danno. Let’s go grocery shopping.”

 

**********

“I know I don’t have to tell you this but I’m going to anyway.” 

Danny had leaned over the passenger seat and grabbed Steve by the forearm before his partner could climb out of the car and barge into the Buy and Save store.

“We don’t know this is our guy,” the Detective cautioned. “If we go in there all guns blazing we’re likely to spook him and scare him off. We have to be careful.”

Steve rolled his eyes and huffed in indignation.

“Yes, Danno, I’m aware of that. I may not have been a cop as long as you, but I do understand the need for discretion.”

Danny held up both hands, palms out.

“Ok, ok. Just want to be sure. I know how badly you want this bastard – how badly we all want him – but we have to do everything right.”

Steve favoured Danny with gaze of exaggerated patience.

“Anything else, Danny? Can we go check this guy out now or do you want to stop and read me the Hawaii Penal Code first?”

Danny shook his head in disgust as he pushed his door open. Steve was tired, they all were. That was the only reason Danny wasn’t tearing him a new asshole for talking to him like that.

“No, Steven. No penal code. You wouldn’t understand most of it anyway since it was written by rational human beings. Let’s go.”

**********

Danny smiled encouragingly at Haku Kalani, general manager of the Buy and Save on Makaloa Street. The small Hawaiian man in his early 50’s was fidgety and seemed high strung. He was about an inch shorter than Danny and had graying hair that he combed over to hide a bald spot. 

“I don’t understand,” Kalani repeated yet again. “Has Dennis done something wrong? Is he in some kind of trouble?”

Danny shook his head and gave Kalani a comforting pat on the shoulder.

“No, Mr. Kalani, not at all. My partner and I,” Danny tilted his head toward Steve who stood just in front of the closed door of the manager’s small office with a stony look on his face. “We just need to talk to Dennis about a crime he may have witnessed. He’s not in any trouble.”

“Dennis hasn’t mentioned witnessing any crime,” Kalani said doubtfully as he looked over at Steve then looked away quickly. Danny didn’t have to look himself to know that the Navy SEAL death stare was out in full force.

“Then we’re probably wrong about him witnessing anything,” Danny soothed gently. “How long has Dennis worked here?”

“Around five years I guess? I’m not sure of the exact time.”

“What does he do?” questioned Steve from the opposite end of the office.

“He’s a stock person and a bag boy. He keeps the shelves filled and helps people with their groceries.”

“Is he popular with the staff and the other customers?” asked Danny.

Kalani shrugged and wrinkled his nose.

“Not really with the staff. He’s not bad or anything, just keeps to himself. Doesn’t make friends. He’s ok with the customers.”

Kalani shrugged again.

“Actually, the only people he seems to like are kids.” 

Steve stiffened visibly at that but Danny struggled to keep his face impassive as he nodded encouragingly at the older man.

“It always amazes me how good he is with the kids,” Kalani continued, “since he seems to hate everyone else.” The manager looked into Danny’s eyes again. “But he’s a good worker, he knows his job and he gets it done. I count on him.”

Danny nodded and smiled brightly.

“Sounds like a good employee alright. And I’m willing to bet he isn’t the witness we’re looking for.”

Danny forced a serious expression to his face.

“I don’t think we’ll need to interview Mr. Omura at all. It might be best if you didn’t mention our visit today, Mr. Kalani. I don’t want to upset Dennis or make him think he’s in any kind of trouble. It might make it hard for him to concentrate on his job and we know how much you depend on him.”

Kalani nodded sagely. It was obvious he wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize the smooth running of the store.

Steve and Danny thanked Kalani for his assistance and left his office to stroll around the store. Danny held a basket in his hands and chose items off the shelf while Steve glanced regularly at Omura who was bagging groceries behind cash register number three.

The Commander pulled his phone from one of his numerous cargo pockets and brought the screen up.

“I looked at the duty roster for the store outside the manager’s office,” Steve murmured quietly, careful of being overheard. “Omura is off at eight. I’m going to call HPD and get them to put a tail on him and watch his house.”

Danny nodded as he examined a can of pinto beans.

“What are we going to do?”

Steve sighed heavily and gave his partner a wan smile.

“We’re going home. We’ve been up for 36 hours. If this is our guy we’re going to need to be on the top of our game to get him. I want everyone well-rested.”

Danny stood and stared at Steve, mouth agape, still clutching the forgotten can of pinto beans in his hand. 

“You? You’re willing to stand down from an investigation to…sleep?”

Steve rolled his eyes and grabbed Danny’s bicep and began pulling the smaller man to the front of the store to make their purchases – at cash register three of course.

“Despite what you think I’m not a robot Danny. I do need sleep just like other humans. HPD will be watching our guy and we’re going to need to have fresh eyes in the morning so yes, I’m ordering everyone to go home.”

Danny shook his head in amazement. Just when he thought he knew Steve like the back of his hand, the SEAL would turn around and do something to shock the hell out of him. 

 

**********

Steve barged into Danny’s house the next morning at 8:30 looking disgustingly refreshed and raring to go. Danny regretted giving his partner a key, but then again, Steve would have just picked the lock anyway.

“Danny!” Steve shouted unnecessarily before finally entering the kitchen where Danny sat slumped at the kitchen table nursing a cup of coffee and still looking a bit bleary-eyed.

The SEAL stood in front of him and made a circle motion with his hands as he shifted anxiously from one foot to the other.

“C’mon, let’s go!”

“Steven,” Danny began, struggling to keep his voice reasonable. “Omura doesn’t start work until 10 and HPD is on his house. What, pray tell, is your hurry?”

“I got a call from Fong this morning. They found a hair on the nightgown Stephanie Danyluk was dressed in.”

Danny jerked up straight at that information.

“Can they get a DNA sample?”

Steve shook his head as he dug through Danny’s cupboards for a ‘to-go’ mug. Once he found it he began filling it with coffee for his partner.

“It’s not a human hair. It’s a dog hair.”

Danny’s shoulders dropped at that. He stood and walked over to the sink to rinse out his coffee mug and put it in the dishwasher.

“Can he tell what kind of dog it was?”

“Not a purebred,” Steve replied as he thrust the to-go mug into Danny’s hands and made a shooing motion with his own hands to speed Danny’s progress.

“A mutt he thinks. A sandy coloured, wiry-haired dog.”

“Does Omura have a dog?” Danny looked over his shoulder at Steve as the taller man nudged him towards the front door.

“A German shepherd.”

“So the hair is not from his dog,” mused Danny as he stood on the front stoop while Steve locked his front door.

Steve shrugged as he fast walked to the Camaro, Danny trailing behind him not even attempting to move to the driver’s side of the car.

“Maybe it was a neighbour’s dog or something,” Steve replied. 

“Or maybe the dog hair came from where Stephanie’s body was lying in the grass and attached itself to her clothes.”

Steve shook his head as he backed the car up then steered it towards the main road.

“No, it was entwined in the fabric. Fong says she would have to have rolled in it, or been rolled in it, for it to attach like that.”

Danny nodded silently and gazed out of the windshield of the car. Steve glanced over at him several times wary of how quiet his usually voluble partner was being.

“What?” the Commander asked.

Danny jumped slightly. It was obvious his mind had been far away. He shifted in his seat so he could face his partner.

“Nothing, it’s just…I looked into Omura’s conviction last night. He was convicted of sexually assaulting his former wife. He maintained that she lured him to the house, they had sex and then she cried rape.”

Steve shrugged.

“So? Perps lie all the time.”

“It’s just that they were in the middle of a pretty bitter custody battle. Omura was looking to get shared of his son custody until the rape charge, now he has no access at all and his ex-wife and child have left the state. That could explain why he’s so standoffish with people and why he likes kids. Maybe he misses his own.”

Steve took his eyes off the road for a moment to give his friend an incredulous look.

“So what are you saying? Omura is a helpless dupe jerked around by his bitch of an ex-wife?”

Danny sighed and shifted in his seat again until he was facing forward.

“No, I’m not saying that, I’m just…It’s odd that we have nothing else on him. No other record of any kind, not even a juvenile record. Serial killers don’t just appear out of thin air. They usually have an escalating trail of violence starting with animal cruelty when they are kids.”

“So he never got caught!” Steve snapped his frustration level rising. “No one knew about Ted Bundy until he was caught.”

Danny waved away his partner’s words with one hand.

“OK, I’m just musing aloud here. No reason for you to jump down my throat.”

“It sounds like you’re making excuses for him, Danny. Like you don’t think he could be our guy.”

It was time for Danny to give Steve an incredulous look.

“Look, babe, I want the bastard that killed these girls as much as you do, but let’s not jump to conclusions. We don’t know that Omura is our guy. He works in a store that all three victims may have visited with their parents and he has a conviction for sexual assault from nine years ago. That’s not exactly a smoking gun.”

“And he doesn’t have any friends at work, and he works at a low-paying, menial job which you’ve said yourself is usually the case with serial killers,” Steve snapped back, one hand slicing the air. “And he has a weird attraction for children!”

“What?” Danny almost shouted “No one said ‘a weird attraction for children.’ The manager said he was good with children, that’s all. Don’t start filling in the blanks with your own suppositions Steve. That’s the fastest way to a mistrial.”

Steve made a disgusted sound at the back of his throat as he pulled up to the grocery store where Omura worked. The guy wasn’t due in for an hour but Danny wasn’t about to mention that.

Steve turned off the car’s ignition and turned to give Danny a hard look.

“Why are you trying so hard to clear him? If he’s the guy he’s murdered three innocent children – and maybe more we don’t know about. You’re a father for Christ’s sake. I would have thought you of all people would want him caught.”

Danny’s face hardened and he pressed his lips together tightly. Steve could see him visibly struggling to hold himself together.

“Look,” Danny growled out as he slammed his coffee mug into the holder between the seats. “I want this fucker caught. Do you think I like knowing my baby girl is living on an island where some sick son-of-a-bitch is murdering little girls? I want us to catch this guy, but I want to be sure he’s the right guy, ok? When we catch him I want him buried under a mountain of evidence that will keep him in Halawa until he’s a bag of bones.”

Steve opened his mouth to respond but Danny leaned forward and jammed an angry finger in his partner’s face causing Steve to flinch slightly. 

“Don’t you ever, ever question my commitment to my job or to my feelings as a father. You haven’t got the first fucking idea how I feel, Steven. If you think I’m trying to let a potential serial killer walk then you don’t know me very well, and that makes me wonder what the fuck I’ve been doing on this team for the last three years!”

Danny opened the passenger door and climbed out. He slammed it loudly and walked across the parking lot to a nearby coffee shop. Steve watched him through the window tamping down his urge to go after his partner. He knew Danny would need some time to cool down and that would give Steve time to think of a suitable apology. The SEAL grabbed the top of the steering wheel in an iron grip then dropped his forehead onto his hands. This case was eating away at all of them.

 

**********

The two partners had been sitting silently in the car for several hours watching as Omura came and went from the store helping customers with their groceries.

Steve had tried to mumble an apology to Danny when his much calmer friend returned to the car, but was met by stony silence. For the past few hours they hadn’t said anything to each other that was not strictly work related. 

Steve rolled his eyes and sighed softly. He was an officer in the United States Navy for fuck’s sake. It wasn’t in him to explain himself or apologize to a subordinate. The SEAL squeezed his eyes shut and scratched his fingers through his hair. The thing was, of course, Danny wasn’t a subordinate – not really. He was his partner and friend, best friend, and that maybe required a certain amount of crow eating on Steve’s part. He shifted on his seat to look over to his friend.

“Danny,” he began softly. “I’m sorry for what I said. It was thoughtless and insensitive. I would never question your abilities as a cop and certainly not your love for Grace or your desire to protect children. I just…I think this guy is the person we’re looking for, but I get that you have some reservations. I respect that. We won’t do anything until we’re both comfortable with the evidence, ok?”

Danny looked over at Steve then dropped his eyes to the console between the seats. His mouth twitched up into a small smile.

“Yeah, ok. Apology noted and accepted.”

Steve smirked at his friend.

“That’s generous of you. Thanks.”

Danny smiled up at him then made a slightly pained face.

“I’m sorry too, babe. I kind of flew off the handle. None of us have had much sleep and our emotions are a bit too close to the surface.”

Steve nodded at the truth of those words. He gave Danny an encouraging smile.

“We’re going to get him, Danno.”

“I know, babe.”

 

**********

Steve jerked upright and grabbed Danny’s arm blindly while staring out the front window of the car. They had been in the parking lot for several hours, each taking turns going into the store to observe Omura or buying coffee or drinks or going to the toilet.

Everything had been run-of-the-mill until Steve grabbed Danny’s arm. Danny sat up as well and watched as Omura left the grocery store with a small child in tow. Danny could hear Steve’s breath come in short pants as they watched Omura lead the small, dark-haired girl through the parking lot, one hand clamped on her shoulder.

“He’s got a kid!” Steve whispered unnecessarily.

“I see,” acknowledged Danny, his heart rising up in his throat.

“He’s going to hurt her,” Steve hissed as he wrapped his hands around the steering wheel in a white-knuckle grip.

“We won’t let him hurt her. Let’s just stay cool, ok? There may be an explanation.”

Steve snorted in derision as two men watched Omura enter the parking lot with the child. They expected the man to go for his car but instead he walked out of the parking lot with the little girl. Steve threw open the Camaro’s door. 

“I’m going to follow them on foot. You follow in the car. Don’t lose them!” Steve barked before slamming the door and taking off after Omura and the child at a sprint. Danny awkwardly climbed over the Camaro’s central console and started the engine backing the car out of the parking space and steering in the direction that Steve was running.

Without taking his eyes from the road, Danny called Chin on his Bluetooth.

“Chin where are you?”

“Kono and I are at the office. We’re about to head to Omura’s house to chat with a few more of his neighbours. What’s up?”

Danny turned a corner and slowed slightly as he spotted Steve walking at a leisurely pace about 20 feet behind Omura and the girl.

“Hold off on that. Omura has just left the Buy and Save with a small girl. He’s walking with her somewhere. Steve is following on foot and I’m in the car.”

“You think this is his next victim?” asked Chin over the phone as Omura turned down another street.

“I don’t know,” Danny replied doubtfully. “It’s pretty damned bold of him to just take a kid from the store in front of people who know him. But I can’t think of any other reason why he’s got her.”

Danny began to slow as Omura stopped in front of a small, slightly dilapidated but neatly-kept house. He leaned over to unlatch a small gate in front of the property and nudged the girl to go in front of him.

“Chin, we’re stopped. Get a lock on our location and be ready with backup.” 

Not waiting for a reply, Danny pulled the Camaro to a stop and climbed out. He barely had time to get clear of the car when Steve was in motion. Danny heard his partner yell Omura’s name just as the older man came to a stop at the front door of the house. The man turned and raised his hands defensively as an angry Steve ran towards him. The small girl screamed in horror and dropped to her knees wrapping her arms around her head protectively. 

Danny ran towards the scene arriving just as Steve violently slammed Omura against the front door of the house and wrenched his arms behind his back to handcuff him. Steve shoved Omura away from the door and down the sidewalk towards the Camaro. The look of pure rage on Steve’s face was the polar opposite of the look of shock and confusion on Omura’s.

“I’m taking this guy to headquarters, Danny,” Steve barked at his partner holding out one hand for the car keys. “You get the kid’s statement. I’ll send Kono to help you.”

Danny nodded mutely as he handed over the keys and watched Steve roughly shove Omura down the sidewalk and across the street towards the car. He wanted to tell Steve not to be so rough with the guy – all they needed was a police brutality charge to muddy up the case – but he knew his partner wouldn’t listen. 

Danny turned back to the house to see a young woman in her mid-20s standing in the doorway looking at him in shock. The small child had her arms wrapped around the woman’s waist and was sobbing uncontrollably.

 

**********

Danny entered the observation area for the interview room and watched as Steve stalked around Omura who was handcuffed to a chair and sobbing quietly. The older man’s nose was bloody and his cheek red from where he’d been hit or pushed into something. 

“You sick fuck!” Danny heard Steve growl at the suspect over the intercom. “You like taking little girls huh? You like hurting them? Watching them suffer?”

Omura shook his head rapidly.

“No, no you don’t understand, it’s not like that. I haven’t hurt anyone.”

Steve turned back to the older man and grabbed Omura by the lapels of his polyester Buy and Save uniform and lifted him and the chair he was handcuffed to, several inches off the floor.

“You’re a lying sack of shit and I’m going to make sure you spend the rest of your life in a six by eight cell – if you live long enough.”

Danny had seen enough. He banged on the observation glass with his fist before pulling open the door that separated the two rooms.

“Commander,” he said in a no nonsense voice. “I need to speak with you.”

“Not now, Danny!” Steve hissed as he held Omura’s face inches from his own.

“Yes, now! Danny barked. “Right now, Steve!”

Steve hesitated for a moment then dropped Omura back into the chair with a thump. He turned and glared at Danny before stalking towards him, shouldering him out of the way as he walked into the observation room. Danny shut the door and turned to look at Steve who was still fuming.

“Why the fuck did you pull me out of there, Danny?” Steve demanded his hands clenched in fists. “I could have made the guy talk.”

“How? By beating him within an inch of his life?”

Steve threw his hands out to his sides.

“Yeah, if necessary. If it stops him from hurting another child.”

Danny took a deep breath and held his hands together in a pleading gesture.

“Steven, let’s calm down, ok? We were wrong about what happened today. Omura wasn’t kidnapping that child. She stole something from the store so he was taking her home. She’d done it before so he knew where she lived.”

Steve froze for a moment, stunned at the turn of events. He swallowed several times then seemed to give himself a mental shake before pushing his jaw out stubbornly.

“That doesn’t mean he’s not our guy,” the SEAL insisted. “Maybe this incident can be explained, but he still looks good for the murders.”

Danny licked his lips and paused as he collected his thoughts.

“My gut tells me he’s not the guy, Steve.”

“Your gut?” Steve snapped back as if that were the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. “So what? I’m supposed to let that bastard go because of your gut? Is that what I tell the parents of the next victim? ‘Sorry Mr. and Mrs. Jones, I had to let your daughter’s murderer go free to kill your daughter because my partner’s gut said he wasn’t the guy.’”

Danny crossed his arms tightly on his chest and struggled to keep his emotions in check.

“Steve, we have nothing to hold this guy on. We have no evidence linking him to the murders…”

“We’ll get some,” Steve interrupted. “I’ve sent Chin to get a warrant to search his house.”  
“Based on what?” Danny yelled, no longer bothering to keep his temper in check. “We have nothing solid on him except for your suspicions and an eight-year-old rape conviction. I doubt any judge will give you a warrant based on such flimsy circumstances.”

“Judge Kamalei will.” 

Danny nodded tiredly. Judge Kamalei’s daughter had been murdered by a man who was getting revenge on the people who put his son in jail where he later died. Kamalei had been grateful to Five-0 for solving the case so quickly and was the team’s go-to judge when their evidence wasn’t strong.

“Yeah, he probably will,” Danny admitted with resignation. “But I don’t think we’re going to find anything. I don’t think this is our guy.”

Steve huffed out a disgusted breath as he began to cross the room to re-enter the interview room.

“Well, I guess I’ll just have to make this asshole talk and prove it to you won’t I?” 

Danny reached out and grabbed Steve’s arm before the taller man could open the door.

“Steve, this isn’t the way,” he pleaded.

The Commander pulled himself up to his full height and used it to loom over Danny.

“Really, Danno? You certainly thought it was the way during the Beckett case. You laid a hell of a beat down on that man.”

Danny’s cheeks flared and he dropped his eyes to the floor.

“Th-that was different. Ella was still out there somewhere, and besides, we knew for a fact that Beckett had taken her.”

“And I know this fucker has killed three innocent children,” growled Steve gesturing angrily towards the interview room where Omura still sat sniveling. “And I’m going to make him confess to it. I would have thought you’d be helping me instead of acting so fucking high and mighty, Danny. ”

Danny swallowed hard and looked up again to meet Steve’s eyes.

“Steve I…I don’t want to be that kind of cop, don’t you get it? I don’t want to beat confessions out of people like this is 1920s Chicago. I want to get them properly – by the book.”

Steve snorted and shook his head almost sadly.

“The only problem with ‘the book’, Danny, is that bastards like Omura haven’t read it and don’t follow its precious rules.”

Danny let his hand drop away from Steve.

“I won’t be a part of this,” he announced flatly. ”You’re not thinking straight and it’s not like you. You’re tired and overwrought and you’re trying to hammer a square peg into a round hole because you’re desperate to solve this case.”

Steve tightened his jaw and gave his partner a look that caused Danny’s stomach to churn.

“Fine. That’s just fine. If you have so little confidence in me why don’t you go home Detective, and let me handle this investigation if you find it so unpalatable?”

Danny blinked up at Steve in shock.

“Are you suspending me?”

Steve shook his head.

“I’m not suspending you I’m sidelining you from this case. Go find something else to do. Chin, Kono and I will wrap this up without your help.”

Steve shoved open the door and stalked back into the interview room slamming the door in Danny’s face.

TBC  
This story is based on a prompt I read…somewhere. The person who left the prompt wanted to see a story where Steve and the team try to solve a case by more physical means but where Danny solves it through good detective work. If you’re the person who left the prompt please let me know so I can credit you with the idea. UPDATE: It was KahunaBurger who left the prompt. Thanks for the idea!


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for the kind reviews. This was a difficult story to write – especially the subject matter. Your reviews meant a lot to me. 4th.

 

Danny sat on the overstuffed leather couch and balanced the coffee mug on his knee. He gave the man across from him what he hoped was an encouraging look.

“I really appreciate you talking to me. I know it must be hell to go through all of this again.”

Andrew Harris nodded slightly. The handsome young man in his late 20s had just lost his only daughter and was obviously shattered, functioning only on a mechanical level.

“I go through it all day in and day out,” the young man answered flatly, all emotion seemingly wrung from him. “I’ll keep doing it forever if it helps you find the bastard who killed my baby.”

Danny swallowed thickly and dropped his eyes away from the face of the stricken young man for a moment. He’d always hated doing these kinds of interviews, and they became that much worse when he became a father himself.

“I was wondering if there was anything more you thought of that might help us?” Danny inquired gently, looking up at Andrew Harris again. “Sometimes things come back to you later. You may think they are unimportant, but often it’s the smallest thing that can break a case open.”

Harris pulled his lips between his teeth and shook his head. 

“I can’t think of anything, I wish I could. I’ve racked my brain, but nothing is coming up.”

Danny nodded and put the coffee cup down on the table in front of him.

“May I look at Lizzie’s room? I never had a chance to before.”

Harris nodded once and climbed to his feet to lead Danny down a small hallway in the two-bedroom apartment where Lizzie Harris had stayed with her father part time after her parent’s divorce. The grieving father laid his hand flat on the closed door for a moment as if summoning his strength, then turned the knob and pushed it open.

“I haven’t changed anything since she was last…I should do something about her clothes I guess, but…” Harris’s voice faded away and he seemed to sink into himself. Danny wrapped his hand gently around the younger man’s bicep.

“Hey, you don’t have to do anything until you’re ready, ok?”

Harris looked over at Danny and gave him a tiny, grateful smile. The detective began moving around the room, careful not to step on anything or move things too much. He examined the few framed photos on Lizzie’s dresser and asked the young father about them. A small drawing pad was lying on the floor by Lizzie’s bed and Danny opened it and flipped through it with a smile.

“She liked to draw I see.”

Harris gave a genuine smile this time as he moved closer to Danny and looked over the Detective’s shoulder at his daughter’s artwork.

“She started lessons about six months ago. She begged for them for Christmas. Her teacher thought she had talent.”

Danny flipped through a few more pages then laid the pad gently on the bed. He leaned over to pull open the drawer of the bedside table. It was stuffed with various papers and toys, hair clips and tiny bottles of nail polish. It looked very much like Grace’s bedside table at his home, and that made Danny take in a shaky breath.

Danny pulled out a book about Justin Bieber which appeared to have been written by the young star. He smiled over at Andrew Harris. 

“My daughter loves him too,” he said quietly.

Harris grinned. 

“I don’t think Lizzie actually liked him that much, but her friends did so she pretended to care about him for their sake. She was that kind of girl,” said the young father. His eyes filled with tears and he cleared his throat loudly.

Danny returned the book to the bedside drawer then dug around and pulled out three small bean bags.

“Hackey sack?” he asked Lizzie’s father.

The young man shook his head and held out his hand for the bean bags.

“Juggling,” Harris corrected. “She developed an interest in juggling a few months ago. She came home with these one day and practiced over and over again. She got so she could keep them in the air for almost a minute but she eventually lost interest.”

Danny nodded knowingly.

“My daughter is the same, moving from one thing to the other.”

“She was always very curious,” Harris continued as if becoming lost in his memories. He tightened his fist around the juggling bean bags and held them to his chest. “She wanted to know everything. She cared about everything. She loved animals. She was going to be a Vet someday…or a firefighter. She couldn’t decide.”

Harris’s voice broke on the last words and he looked up at Danny, his red eyes pooling with tears.

“I need to… can you finish looking around on your own?” he gasped before turning and hurrying out of the room. 

Danny put his hand over his eyes and swallowed hard. 

 

**********

Jeanine Danyluk was almost hyper as she busied herself around the living room while Danny tried to question her gently. It was if she felt if she kept moving, the grief of losing her daughter wouldn’t swallow her. Danny knew she’d been interviewed by HPD investigators but he’d only read the reports once and he wanted to get his own impression of Stephanie.

“What kinds of things was Stephanie interested in?” Danny prodded gently as Mrs. Danyluk drifted aimlessly about the room straightening photographs on the wall and wiping imaginary dust from the knickknacks that lined the shelves.

“Oh, lots of things really,” she replied. “Stephanie is a very talented girl. She loves to sing and dance. I’ve signed her up for jazz and tap classes at the local community club in the fall.”

“Did she have a lot of friends?”

“Oh, yes,” the young woman replied quickly. “My Stephanie is very popular. All of the kids love her. This is the cool house to come to, you know?” She looked over at Danny expectantly. He smiled and nodded.

“Her friends were always here; kids coming and going like crazy. I joked that we should have a revolving door put in.” Jeanine Danyluk laughed almost hysterically. “But that’s good right? You want your kids to stay close to home so you can keep an eye on them…”

The young woman’s voice faded away and her eyes widened as she realized what she’d said.

“So you can keep an eye on them,” she whispered harshly, her delicate hands fisting at her side. “Like parents are supposed to do.”

Danny watched a variety of emotions flicker over Mrs. Danyluk’s pale, shadowed face. His heart ached for her but he needed to keep her on track.

“What about school,” Danny interrupted her tortured thoughts. “Did she like school?”

Jeanine jerked as if she’d been shocked then looked over at Danny in surprise.

“What?”

“Did Stephanie like school? What was her favourite subject?”

“Oh,” the young mother responded distantly. “She liked school ok. Language Arts was her favourite subject. She likes to…liked to write stories.”

“Was Stephanie involved in any clubs or group activities?”

Mrs. Danyluk walked over to a nearby chair and sank down into it weakly.

“She played softball in a league last year, and she took surfing lessons for a while.”

Danny nodded and sighed quietly. This was information he already knew and all of these leads were being followed up. He sensed Mrs. Danyluk was reaching the end of her emotional rope. He was grateful that her neighbours were taking turns sitting with her and her husband until her parents could arrive from Vancouver.

Danny stood and leaned over Jeanine Danyluk placing a warm hand on her shoulder.

“I won’t keep you anymore. I’m sorry to have had to bother you with all of these questions again.”

The young mother looked up at him with hollow eyes and nodded.

“It’s ok. I like talking about her,” She whispered. Jeanine climbed to her feet and began walking Danny to the front door. The detective stopped in the hallway for a moment to admire a photograph on the wall of little Stephanie dressed as a clown.

“That was taken last Halloween,” Mrs. Danyluk offered. “She loved circuses and clowns. She wanted to be a circus performer someday.” The young woman smiled softly. “She even tried to learn how to juggle but she wasn’t very good at it.”

Danny stiffened and he felt his heart stutter in his chest.

“Juggle?’ he asked as neutrally as he could. “How did she get interested in that?”

The young woman looked up at him.

“Oh…some man came to the school a few months ago; some kind of local performer. Steph said he wasn’t very good, but he could juggle and he tried to teach the kids how to do it. He picked a couple of kids from the audience and taught them on stage. Stephanie was one of them. He let her keep the little bean bags you learn with. They are in her room somewhere.”

Danny nodded quickly and smiled at the young mother. He could feel his heart racing in his chest but forced himself not to show any emotion to Stephanie’s mother. Danny put out his hand and she took it with her cold, thin fingers.

“Thank you again for your help,” Danny said quietly. “And I’m so sorry for your loss.”

 

**********

“Danny where are you?” Kono questioned her worry evident even over the phone. “What the hell happened between you and Steve?”

Danny pulled the Camaro away from the Danyluk home and steered it in the direction of Five-0 headquarters. Annabelle’s parents were not on the island to be interviewed so he’d decided to return to the office and try to track them down and call them.

“We had a difference of opinion on how to handle this case,” Danny replied distractedly. “It’s no big deal but look, Kono, I need you to do me a favour.”

“Of course, anything.”

“I need you to call the three schools our murder victims attended and ask if they’ve had a performance by a local guy over the last few months – a guy who teaches kids how to juggle.”

Danny could tell Kono was confused by the odd request but she was too well-trained to ask questions.

“I’ll get right on that. What are you going to do?”

“I’m on my way back to the office,” Danny replied as he pulled up at a stop light. “Is our fearless leader around? He may not be too thrilled to see me especially since he told me to stay off this case.”

“He and Chin are off searching Omura’s home. They got the warrant but…”

“But what?” Danny prompted.

“I think you may be right about him. I don’t think he’s our guy. I’m still checking it out but it looks like he has a pretty good alibi for the day Annabelle Sung disappeared.”

Danny sighed heavily. It didn’t give him any pleasure to be proved right. Omura was a good lead and they were right to follow up on him, but the emotions this case brought up blinded all of them and made them start to jump to conclusions.

“OK,” Danny replied softly. “I’ll be in the office in about 15 minutes or so. Call me if you get anything before then.”

 

**********

“Jerry the Juggling Fool,” Kono announced the moment Danny pushed open the main doors of the Five-0 offices. He found Kono standing at the tech table, her eyes bright and an air of excitement around her. 

“He’s a local performer who visits schools, hospitals and nursing homes and….” Kono paused and smiled at Danny. “…he’s been to each of the schools of our victims within the last six months.”

Danny licked his bottom lip distractedly as he pondered the new information. It was important to be calm and not go off half cocked. This could be another dead end. But Danny’s gut was telling him otherwise.

“Do you know his real name?”

Kono nodded and turned back to the computer to put a web page and an image of a driver’s license on the screen.

“He has a very poorly designed web page where I got his real name. He is Gerald Brisson, 32-years-old. He lives in Kaneohe and this juggling gig seems to be his full-time job. I don’t imagine it pays much money though.”

“But it leaves him a lot of free time and flexible hours I bet,” Danny mused. He looked up again at Kono.

“Does he…?” Danny began.

“Have a record?” Kono finished for him. “Not that I can find but if he did he wouldn’t be allowed into the schools so that makes sense.”

Danny took a moment to look up at the image of Gerald Brisson. The younger man was pale and chubby-faced with green eyes and straight brown hair that hung around his ears. Danny’s first thought as he looked at their potential suspect was average. An average guy living in an average neighbourhood. He could easily melt into the background – all but invisible to those around him. 

“So what are you thinking?” Kono interrupted his examination of their potential suspect. “He uses these performances to pick out his potential victims?”

Danny turned his attention back to her and shrugged.

“If he is the guy,” he stressed the “if,” “then it’s possible. Maybe he observes them for a while, learns their habits.”

Danny waved a hand at the photo on the screen.  
“OK. I want to know more about him. I’m going to get HPD to start digging but what say you and I go and chat with his neighbours and do little poking around? We don’t want to do anything to alert him, but if he is the guy he’s going to feel the compulsion to take another kid soon so we may not have much time.”

“Steve and Chin?” Kono asked tentatively.

“Have you heard from them?”

“Chin just texted me about 10 minutes ago,” the young officer replied. “They’ve found nothing at Omura’s house and he said Steve is starting to realize they may be on the wrong track. He’s pretty upset with himself. Anyway, they’re on their way back.”

Danny nodded. Despite still being angry at Steve’s behaviour, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for his partner. Steve was used to winning, to being perfect at everything. This would be a blow for him.

“I’ll text Steve and let him know what we’re doing. Keep the information you found up on the screen so that Chin can dig around and see if he can find anything else.”

 

**********  
Ms. Candace Takahashi and her 16-year-old daughter Mia lived across the street and down one from Gerald Brisson. The small, somewhat rotund woman and her pretty daughter stood before Danny more than happy to gossip about their neighbour.

“He’s a freakazoid!” spat Mia looking up from her cell phone on which she seemed to be texting continuously while carrying on a conversation with Danny. He was impressed.

“Mia!” her mother admonished but the teen only rolled her eyes.

“He is mom; he’s like a total creep.”

“Why do you say that, Mia?” Danny questioned patiently.

“He comes and goes from that dumpy little house day and night, he never talks to anyone, he spends most of his time in his garage and that’s totally weird because all the windows are like, painted over or something. I tried to look in them one day and I couldn’t see anything.”

“I told you I wanted you to stay away from his place!” her mother snapped giving her daughter a light, backhanded slap on her upper arm.

“What? It’s not like I crawled in a window or anything. I just wanted to see into the garage.”

“Has Mr. Brisson ever spoken to you or done anything that makes you feel…I don’t know, uncomfortable?” questioned Danny.

“Last summer a couple of my friends and I were on the front lawn tanning in our bikinis and he kept looking out through his window and staring at us. But he never speaks to me. I think he’s one of those totally weird guys who stare at women but can’t talk to them.” Mia gave a dramatic shudder. “Creepy.”

Danny looked over at Ms. Takahashi who was shaking her head in exasperation at her daughter. Danny had a feeling this was a look that would be reflected on his face in a couple of years.

“Ms. Takahashi, do you know how long Mr. Brisson has lived in the house?”

Ms. Takahashi, who apparently knew everything that went on in the neighbourhood, replied immediately.

“He moved in just over a year ago – maybe 14 months. He did a lot of work renovating the garage when he first moved in but he hasn’t done anything to the house. He’s a renter,” she continued. “The owners live on the mainland. I think it’s a revenue property for them.”

“Do you know if they have a property manager?”

Ms. Takahashi shrugged slightly.

“I’ve never seen anyone come around. Maybe he sends his cheques directly to the owners or they take the rent money out of his account each month.”

“I understand Mr. Brisson is a juggler. Have you ever seen him perform?”

“I did once,” Mia piped up, her eyes never leaving her phone’s screen. “He was standing at the bottom of his driveway juggling for a couple of the neighbourhood kids a month or so ago. But the parents came and hustled them away wikiwiki. Everyone thinks he’s a creep.”

Danny nodded and thanked the two women for their assistance before walking back to the Camaro and perching on the hood. He saw Kono across the street talking to another neighbour so he decided to take a moment and man up and finally call Steve. 

“Hey,” Danny greeted his partner when the SEAL answered his cell phone.

“Hi,” Steve responded, his voice subdued. “How is it going out there?”

“We’re just finishing up our talks with the neighbours. So far everyone’s saying the same thing: Brisson keeps to himself and they think he’s creepy. He has a garage next to his house that he apparently spends a lot of time in. He’s got the windows covered with something so no one can see inside. The neighbours say he comes and goes at all hours of the day and night.”

“You think he’s bringing the girls back to the house to murder them?”

Danny leaned against the hood of the Camaro and rubbed his fingertips into his right temple. He could feel a headache starting.

“I think it’s possible.”

“Do you think we have enough for a warrant?”

Danny pondered the question for a moment.

“I doubt it. We know he performed at all of the schools, we know he singled out at least one girls for juggling lessons during his performance and we know he’s quiet and keeps to himself. But I don’t really see that as being enough to take before a judge.”

Steve sighed on the other end of the phone.

“Well, thanks to me we’ve probably burned our bridges with Judge Kamalei. He wasn’t too thrilled that we found nothing in Omura’s apartment and now Omura is threatening to sue the state and me personally.”

“Steve, don’t let this eat at you. It was a mistake, it happens. The rest of us were just as hopeful about the Omura lead as you were.”

“The only difference being you kept your head and didn’t let your imagination run wild,” Steve responded, a note of bitterness in his voice.

“We had every reason to suspect Omura and to arrest him when we saw him with that little girl. We were wrong about him and now we move on. We’re all exhausted and not really firing on all cylinders.”

There was a long period of silence and Danny began to think the call had been disconnected.

“Steve? What do you want us to do now?”

“It’s your case, Danno.”

Danny shook his head. He had to get Steve’s head back in the game.

“No, it isn’t. It’s the team’s case and you are the leader of this team. So what do you want us to do?” Danny demanded firmly.

Danny heard Steve huff out a short breath on the other end of the phone.

“We need to keep Brisson’s house under surveillance. Do you and Kono want to take the first shift?”

Danny stood up and turned around in time to see Kono shaking hands with the homeowners she’d interviewed and turn to walk back to the Camaro.

“Yeah, sure. We’re here anyway. Maybe I’ll scout around his yard a bit.”

“Be careful, Danno. If this is the guy we’re looking for we have no idea how he’d react if he thought we were closing in on him.”

A small smile lifted the corners of Danny’s mouth.

“I’ll be careful, and Kono will be here to back me up.”

“OK. Meanwhile HPD is trying to locate Brisson right now. As soon as they find him they will put a tail on him. In the meantime Chin and I will dig deeper into his life. We’ll be out there at about seven to take over the surveillance, ok?”

“Yeah, ok,” Danny responded, inclining his head towards the car signalling Kono to get in. “We’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Alright, and Danny…?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s um…I just want you to know you’re a good cop and I’m glad you’re on the team.”

Danny felt his throat tighten and he turned his face away from Kono’s curious eyes. He cleared his throat.

“Oh well…yeah, thanks, Steve.”

 

**********

Danny rubbed his hand over the glass on the small window in the back of the Brisson garage. Mia Takahashi was right the windows had been painted over from the inside.

Danny picked his way through the narrow, overgrown and garbage-strewn gap between the garage and the house until he entered the small back yard. The area was choked with weeds and a variety of broken lawn chairs were dotted about. Given the layer of dust on all of them, it was obvious Brisson never sat out here.

Danny climbed the cracked and pitted cement steps and peered through the backdoor of the Brisson house into a shabby but sparkling clean kitchen. He put his hand on the door handle and turned it but the door was locked. The sound of him rattling the handle must have been heard throughout the house because a small dog came skittering around a corner into the kitchen and began yapping wildly at Danny. The detective cupped his hands around his eyes and pressed his face to the glass to get a better view. The dog was a wire-haired, sandy-coloured mutt and suddenly all the puzzle pieces came together for Danny. He hurried back to the car.

 

**********

“Danny, look.”

Danny was busy texting Grace when Kono nudged his arm and he looked up. It was just after 4 p.m. and the two had been sitting in the Camaro watching the Brisson home for a couple of hours. So far HPD had been unable to locate their suspect.

As the partners watched from several dozen yards away, a car matching the description of Brisson’s Ford Fiesta came up the street towards them. As they held their breath, it turned into the driveway of Brisson’s home and came to a stop close to the garage.

“That’s him,” Kono said excitedly as she grabbed a camera and began photographing their subject.

“He obviously doesn’t park in the garage,” mused Danny as he watched through a pair of binoculars.

Brisson climbed out of the car and Danny could see their suspect’s eyes dart about as if checking to see if anyone was watching. When he seemed satisfied no one was around, Brisson used his keys to open the trunk of his car. With some difficulty Brisson pulled a large, hard-sided suitcase from within the trunk then lowered it to the ground.

“What is that on the side of the trunk?” Kono asked as she continued snapping pictures.

“His company logo I guess,” replied Danny with an edge of contempt. “It’s a cartoon drawing of him juggling while dancing on what’s supposed to be the head of a pin.”

Kono contemplated that for a moment. “Bizarre.”

As the partners watched, Brisson slammed the trunk shut then man-handled the large suitcase up the driveway to the door of the garage. Pulling a separate set of keys from his pocket, the suspect unlocked the garage and pulled the suitcase inside then shut the door. The two Five-0 officers watched for several more minutes but Brisson did not emerge.

“I suppose that suitcase holds all the stuff he needs for his act?” 

“Yeah,” replied Danny as his brain considered the possibilities. Finally he looked over at the younger officer. “Kono you’d better get on the horn with HPD and tell them he’s here at home.” 

The young officer nodded and began dialing her phone as Danny sent a quick text message to Steve to make the same report.

 

**********

The two officers were so intent on watching the garage that they both jumped when Danny’s phone rang. They glanced at each other and grinned sheepishly before Danny grabbed his phone from the dashboard and pushed the call answer button.

“Williams.”

“Danny,” Steve’s voice sounded harried and Danny could hear the wailing of the siren in his truck and the roaring of its engine. “HPD just got a call from a couple in Village Park. Their daughter didn’t come home from school today. Her name is Ailanna Pahia and she’s nine years old.”

Danny’s heart climbed into his throat as he considered Brisson and the weight of the suitcase he had taken into the garage.

“Have you…?”

“Chin checked with the school. Brisson was there performing last week. Chin and I are on our way to you now but we don’t have a warrant…”

“Fuck it,” growled Danny as he climbed out of the Camaro and began walking towards the Brisson house, Kono hot on his heels. “Brisson came home an hour ago with a very heavy suitcase. I’m betting the girl is stuffed inside it. That may be enough probable cause, but if it’s not, too bad. If we’re wrong we’ll deal with the consequences later.”

Danny could hear the smile in his partner’s voice when he answered.

“That’s what I was hoping you’d say. Chin and I will be there in five minutes. Hold up until we get there.”

Danny, who was now running towards the house, gun drawn, scoffed at that.

“Steve, if he has the girl in there five minutes could mean the difference between life and death. We’re going in.”

Steve paused for half a moment and Danny could hear the sound of his truck screeching around a corner.

“Alright, but be careful – both of you.”

Danny disconnected the call and shoved the phone into his pocket just as he and Kono were approaching the driveway of the Brisson home. Danny signaled for his young partner to go around back to watch the windows while he headed towards the main pedestrian door into the garage.

Danny slowed to a stop and pressed his ear against the door but could hear nothing from inside. The wailing of police sirens was getting closer but the detective wasn’t willing to wait for backup to arrive.

Danny pounded on the door to the garage with his fist.

“Gerald Brisson!” he shouted. “Five-0. Open up!”

Nothing.

“Brisson open this door or we’re coming in!”

Still nothing.

Danny keyed the microphone on his ear piece. 

“Kono, at the count of five break one of the windows.”

“Roger that,” Kono’s steady voice replied.

Danny waited, unconsciously holding his breath until he heard the sound of shattering glass. He stepped back from the door and kicked it viciously. An explosion of pain shot like a lightning bolt up his leg. The door had been reinforced but Danny’s kick had loosened it on its hinges. Danny ignored the pain and once more kicked at the door.

“Brisson freeze!” Danny heard Kono yell from the back of the garage.

With one more powerful kick the door flew open and Danny stumbled into the darkened garage. It took a moment for his eyesight to adjust to the dim room but his eyes widened in horror as he saw Brisson standing next to a metal table of the kind you would see in a veterinarian’s office. A small child was strapped to the table unmoving and Brisson held a knife to her neck as he cowered behind her body. There was no way to take a shot.

“I’ll kill her!” Brisson screamed hysterically. “Come any closer and I’ll kill her!”

“Put the knife down and step away from the girl Brisson,” Danny shouted. He heard Kono come in the door behind him and knew she would also have her gun trained on the man.

“I won’t!” the younger man screamed. “She’s mine! You can’t take her!”

“She’s not yours, Brisson,” Kono yelled back. “Now step away from her before I put a bullet in your head!”

Brisson shook his head wildly and Danny realized he needed to try and calm the situation.

“Brisson listen to me,” Danny fought to bring his voice under control. “You have nowhere to go. There’s no way out of here. The girl hasn’t done anything to you. Let her go and give up.”

As Danny watched, sickened, Brisson’s bottom lip began quivering and his eyes filled with tears. 

“They’re mine,” he whispered. “They belong to me. I take care of them. I free them. Free their souls.”

“What do you mean you free them?” asked Danny as he heard the roaring engine and squealing tires of a large vehicle pull up outside. Steve had arrived and no doubt a dozen HPD squad cars were just behind him.

“They’re so young, so innocent,” Brisson replied still holding the knife to the little girl’s neck but now using the thumb of his free hand to stroke her face. “The world is too evil for them. They need to be freed so they will never grow old – never be tainted by the evil of the world.”

Danny felt the bile rise in his throat as Brisson talked. Just watching him touch the girl made Danny want to empty his gun into the bastard.

“If you want them to stay innocent why do you rape them before you kill them?” Danny spat out.

Brisson shook his head again. He was beginning to sweat profusely and his hands were shaking. Danny was terrified he would cut the girl.

“You don’t understand! You don’t understand!” Brisson shrieked again.

“Then explain it to me!” Danny shouted back.

“I need them. I need to be a part of them. I need to share their essence, their light.”

“Before you extinguish their light.”

Brisson snorted in disgust.

“You don’t understand anything. Their light comes into me. It lives through me.”

The detective heard movement behind him but refused to take his eyes off Brisson. 

“Danny,” Steve whispered softly from behind. “I’m here. Keep talking to him.”

Danny felt an unaccountable relief that Steve had arrived. Handling this sort of situation was what Steve did best.

“I give them eternity, don’t you see?” ranted Brisson, his eyes drifting to the face of the still unconscious girl. “I preserve their essence from the horror and cruelty of the world.” 

Brisson got a far-away look in his eyes. “‘He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.’”

As Brisson spoke, Steve and Kono separated and began slowly moving to opposite sides of the room while Chin stayed beside Danny, his gun trained like a laser on Brisson looking for any opportunity to take the shot without injuring the child.

Danny scoffed loudly.

“Don’t start spewing bible verses Brisson. You aren’t some messenger sent by God. You’re a man, a demented man. A murderer; a baby killer. You’re a coward. You feed on defenseless children who can’t protect themselves. You’re scum.”

Brisson looked up at Danny, rage burning in his eyes.

“Shut up! Shut up!” he screamed.

Slowly Danny leaned over and put his gun on a nearby table then straightened up holding out his hands so Brisson could see he was unarmed.

“C’mon, oh great messenger of God. Show me how powerful you are. Let’s see how much power you have against another man.”

Brisson shook his head wildly again. “You’re not one of them,” he shrieked. “You’re not an innocent. You have no light.”

“You’re a coward,” Danny yelled back stepping closer to the nearly hysterical man. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Steve and Kono shifting closer as well.

“You haven’t got the guts to come at me,” Danny taunted making a beckoning motion at Brisson. “You have no power. You have no light. You’re just a weak, demented little fuck who...”

Like a rubber band snapping Brisson shrieked again and raised his right arm over his head, the knife fisted in his hand. Coming out of his crouch from behind Ailanna, Brisson hurtled toward Danny, his eyes wild and his lips wet and almost foaming. Danny put up his hands defensively just as the echo of gunshots reverberated in the small building. Steve fired first then Chin milliseconds after him. Kono by now was close to Ailanna and chose instead to throw herself over the tiny girl and protect her with her body. 

The bullets hit their target but Brisson barely flinched as they tore into his flesh. His rage and adrenaline seemed to give him super-human strength and he continued to lunge towards Danny. The detective, his leg injured from kicking in the reinforced door, was unable to move out of the way in time. He prepared himself to be tackled by Brisson but just as the metal blade of Brisson’s knife flashed inches from Danny’s face, a blur appeared to Danny’s right and Brisson was tackled to the ground, a 175 pound Navy SEAL slamming him into the concrete pad of the garage like a swatted fly.

Stumbling, Danny threw himself onto Brisson’s legs as the struggling, screaming man fought against Steve. Pushing himself off Brisson’s chest with one hand, Steve hauled back and slammed a fist into the killer’s jaw once, twice, until the smaller man lay broken and bleeding on the garage floor.

Danny lay across Brisson’s legs panting and almost terrified to let go in case the man was not incapacitated and could still get to the knife. Finally he felt Chin’s hands on his shoulders pulling him upright.

“It’s ok, brah,” Chin murmured gently. “We’ve got him. Let him go so Steve can cuff him.”

Unresisting, Danny allowed his friend pull him off the killer and upright to his feet. As the adrenaline drained from his body, Danny was suddenly conscious of his injured leg and he cried out in pain. The Jersey native slumped against Chin who half carried the smaller man to a nearby chair and set him in it. Danny felt the Lieutenant running his hands over his body looking for an injury but Danny couldn’t take his eyes off Brisson. Steve roughly flipped the killer over and handcuffed him behind his back. The SEAL then dug in his pocket for zip ties and trussed Brisson at the ankles. 

Danny sat dazed in the chair as cops and paramedics spilled into the tiny garage. He saw Kono carrying little Ailanna out of the garage whispering comforting words to the child who appeared to be rousing from whatever drug-induced state Brisson must have put her in.

Brisson still lay on the floor, police officers swirling in eddies around him but no one in any hurry to get him medical attention. Danny stared at the still unconscious man and felt a rage bubbling up in his throat so powerful he feared would choke him if he didn’t release it. The detective climbed unsteadily to his feet and limped over to the injured killer then dropped down beside him.

Danny grabbed Brisson at the collar and jerked the insensible man into a boneless, half-seated position. Danny drew his arm back and made a fist. He wanted to hit Brisson over and over until the man’s ugly face was nothing but a bloody pulp, unrecognizable as being human. All movement stopped in the room and the gathered officers watched as Danny fought his basest desires. The detective shook in rage and pain for all the destruction and horror Brisson had caused to so many families. The detective clenched and unclenched his fist fighting his overwhelming desire to exact revenge and justice for Lizzie and Annabelle and Stephanie and now Ailanna. He had no idea what was holding him back.

“Danny,” Steve whispered gently, kneeling down next to his partner.

“He has to pay,” Danny growled, his body now shaking uncontrollably.

“He will, Danny,” Steve whispered laying his hands on his friend’s shoulders. “He will pay. I promise you.”

Suddenly overwhelmed with exhaustion, Danny released his hold on Brisson and let the vile man flop back to the floor, his head hitting the cement with a satisfying thwack. Danny felt like a puppet with its strings cut as he slumped over, unable to hold himself upright any longer. He was barely aware of the strong arms that wrapped around him or the broad chest he was leaning against.

Police and crime scene unit members continued to swarm in and out of the garage, their eyes turned respectfully away from the two Five-0 officers on the floor one of whom was sobbing while the other rocked him gently.

 

**********

“He’s on suicide watch in the hospital,” Steve informed Danny as he handed the smaller man a bottle of juice. Danny made a face at Steve’s choice of beverage for him but he supposed with the anti-inflammatories and pain killers he was on, an ice cold beer wouldn’t be the best choice.

He shifted on the Adirondack chair to find a better position for his braced leg. The doctors weren’t sure yet whether he’d need surgery for the torn ACL.

“Part of me wants to tell them to look away for about a half-hour and let him finish himself off,” Steve continued bitterly taking a swallow of his beer. 

Danny took a mouthful of his juice then shook his head.

“I don’t. I want him to go to trial and I want him to spend the rest of his life in prison. You know how much inmates enjoy having their fun with baby killers.”

Steve smiled brightly at Danny. Nothing society could ever do to Gerald Brisson would make up for the crimes he’d committed, but it did give the Commander a warm feeling thinking of Brisson beaten regularly, or bent over in the shower.

“Have the crime scene guys finished with the garage?”

Steve nodded and let his eyes drift out to sea. Maybe he could fill his mind with scenes of the ocean instead of the sterile, sound-proofed chamber of horrors Brisson had created in his garage.

“They found everything: the fabric for the nightgowns he’d created, the hair...” Steve took another swallow of beer before he spoke again. “He had the locks of hair on display in one of those shadow box frames.” The SEAL shook his head in disbelief. “I thought I’d seen every kind of depravity in my work with the SEALS Danno but this guy...”

“I know,” Danny replied softly. As soon as Steve would let him wander more than 10 feet from his house Danny planned to make an appointment with his therapist.

“How is Ailanna?” Danny asked hoping for some brighter news. Steve smiled and nodded at him.

“She’s fine. No physical injuries. She remembers being grabbed from behind and a wet cloth that smelled strange being put over her face. She doesn’t remember anything after that.”

“Thank god,” murmured Danny. “That’s enough for a child to deal with. Did someone rescue the dog from the house?” 

“Yeah. Brisson was apparently dog-sitting for a cousin. The creature had only been with him for a while so Brisson must have accidentally transferred its hair to the nightgown he’d dressed Stephanie in. Otherwise he kept the crime scene spotless.”

The two partners sat quietly for a time watching the sun approach the western horizon. In a half hour or so it would be dark and they’d have to start thinking about moving inside to make supper.

“Danny,” Steve began softly, the fingers of one hand picking nervously at the label on his beer bottle. “I just want to say that...”

Danny reached across the two chairs and grabbed Steve by the forearm. He waited until Steve looked over and met his eyes before he spoke.

“Don’t, ok? If you’re trying to apologize I don’t want to hear it. This case was weeks and weeks of hell – little sleep, skipping meals – neither of us was at our best.”

“I should have had more confidence in you,” Steve responded hoarsely. “I should have listened to your doubts. If it hadn’t been for you Ailanna...”

“Steve,” Danny interrupted giving his partner’s arm a firm shake. “Enough. Enough beating yourself up. We solved the case, we saved the child. We took a vicious killer off the streets forever. We did our jobs.”

Steve examined Danny’s face for a long moment as if searching for any residual anger. He seem satisfied enough that his mouth twitched into a small smile.

“We’re a hell of a good team,” he said proudly. Danny grinned.

“We are.”

Steve sat back in his chair and puffed up his chest as he suppressed a smile. Time to wind Danny up a bit.

“Of course, I’m the person who created the team,” he boasted. “It’s all about being a good manager and hiring the best people, Danno. Remember that.”

Danny snorted and pushed Steve’s arm away. 

“Yeah, yeah it’s all you, Steven. 

“Oh, you and Chin and Kono help, of course, but it’s my guidance and wisdom that makes the team what it is,” Steve carried on, his eyes sparkling with humour.

Danny narrowed his eyes and shook a disapproving finger at Steve. He knew his partner was just teasing him but if the game got Steve to smile, Danny would play along.

“We make you look good. You know it!”

Steve laughed and nodded.

“That you do, Danno.” 

Steve stood up and held out his hand to pull his partner to his feet and help him into the house.

“C’mon, Danno. Dinner then bed. I’m exhausted.”

 

The end.


End file.
